Acetylene-gas generator.



Nu. 707,077. Patented Aug. I9, I902. u. w. BISHOP. ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Mar. 7, 1902.)

(No Model.)

INVENTOHf M Q 341% ATTORNEY WITNESSES Ew/ m: u'cnms PETERS no mom-Lana. WIASNMGTON n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID l/VOLFE BISHOP, OF LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,077, dated August 19, 1902..

Application filed March 7, 1902. Serial No. 97,155. on model.)

To-ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID WOLFE BISHOP, of Lenox, Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Acetylene-Gas Generators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a generator for acetylene gas constructed and'arranged so that agitation or violent movements of the apparatus are prevented from injuriously affecting the flame fed by it. Such impressed movements occur, for example, when a vehicle carrying the generator runs over obstructions or ruts and traverses roughroads. Their effect is apt to be the momentary shaking down of an undue amount of water from the reservoir, through the controlling-valvempon the carbid in the gas-compartment, with the result that there is a sudden overproduction of gas, and the lamp supplied thereby flares and often goes out. My apparatus obviates this and maintains the gas-flame substantially steady in the following manner: First, by the use within the reservoir of a vertical tubular chamber having an inlet from said reservoir at the bottom thereof, in which tube is confined the water column which directly supplies the valve and which is thus protected from the lateral movement of or waves in the main body of water in the reservoir. In order to take up and check vertical movement of this water column, the upper end of the confining-tube is sealed, so that above said.

column an air-chamber is formed, in which the air is compressed to an extent proportional to the hydrostatic pressure in the resvided, third, means for instantly relieving the gas-compartment from whatever excess of gas-pressure may be momentarily produced. This means is constructed to depend upon the hydrostatic pressure in the reservoir, which need be but little above that of the normal working pressure of the gas, since, as already the air-cushion becomes less efiective the relief means becomes more effective, because the same fall in level permits gas to escape from the compartment at a lower pressure.

My invention further consists in the construction of the apparatus in two parts, one of Which,forming the Water-reservoir,contains the relieving device, the valve for permitting gradual escape of water, and the means for drying the gas, and the other, disposed below said reservoir, is adapted to contain the carbid and is capable of attachment and detachment; and my invention also consists in the combinations more particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side view of the water-trap in the relievingtube.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The apparatus is preferably of cylindrical form and embodies two vessels A and B, the vessel A being attached by a threaded connection to and below the vessel B, so as to be readily removable.

The vessel A is hereinafter termed the gasgenerating compartment, and the vessel B, in which is placed the water which is gradually delivered to the carbid in the vessel A, is hereinafter termed the water-reservoir. The vessel B is provided with a cover 0, permanently secured in place by brazing or otherwise. The bottom D of the water-reservoir forms ahorizontal partition separating said reservoir from the gas-compartment. Passing through the cover andbottom of the water-reservoir and preferably'centrally disposed therein is a tube or chamber E, which extends below the bottom D and receives the needle-valve F in a seat in its lower closed extremity. The valve F is carried by the stem G, which is threaded where it passes through which the stem G passes.

through the correspondingly-threaded perforated partition H in said llllb0.' The tube is provided with a cover I and stuffing-box I, In this way the upper end of the tube E is hermetically sealed. The opening J allows of access of water to the interior of the tube from said reservoir. The partition H is preferably made thick, as shown, with elongated openings H in it. Also passing through the cover and bottom of the water-reservoir isa tube K. The lower end of said tube, which extends into the gas-compartment, is covered with wire network orperforated metal. The upper end ofsaid tube is closed and provided with a stop-cock L. The object of this tube is to contain the drying material forthe gas, which material may be of any suitable character. I prefer to employ, as here shown, a body of carbid M between two bodies of cottoo or other fibrous absorbent substance N. It will be observed that thisd rier is located in the water-reservoir, so that the gas traversing it is not only dried but is cooled by reason of the surrounding water.

0 is a bent tube, one leg P of which extends through the bottom of the water-reservoir and passes upward through the cover thereof. Above the cover the tube 0 is bent over and is preferably formed with a spiral Q to produce a water-trap. The other leg R of the tube then extends downward through the cover and reservoir, so that its open end comes below the opening of said tube in the gas-compartment, for which purpose a pocket W is made in the bottom of said reservoir. The object of causing the leg R of the tube to extend below the leg P is to prevent any siphon action of the tube tending to draw the water out of the reservoir.

In the cover of the reservoir is an opening provided with a short cylindrical tube S, within which is a small funnel T. Through this opening the reservoir may be filled at any time during the operation of the apparatus. Said opening also serves for the escape into the atmosphere of gas passing the relief-tn be 0. The funnel T prevents water in the reservoir from splashing out through the tube S when the apparatus is shaken or agitated.

The gas-generating compartment is preferably provided with a central tube U, of wire-gauze or perforated metal.

The operation of the device is as follows: The gas-generating compartment A being detached from the water-reservoir, a suitable quantity of carbid V is placed therein around the central tube U. Compartment A is then connected to reservoir B by the threaded connection, and a suitable amount of water is introduced into said reservoir through the tube S. The needle-valve F is then opened by rotating its stem G to permit the water in the reservoir to escape drop by drop into the tube U and thence through the wire-gauze or perforations of said tube into the mass of carbid V. The gas generated in compartmaintained.

ment A passes through the drying substances in tube K, and so through the stop-cock L, to the place of ignition. It also passes through the relief-tube O and meets the water which has risen into the leg R thereof. When gasgenerators in which water from an upper reservoir is delivered in drops, by gravity, into a lower carbid-compartment are subjected to sudden impressed vertical or nearly vertical movements, as when a vehicle on which the generator is carried runs over obstructions or ruts or traverses rough roads, then, by reason of such impressed movements, an undue amountof water is suddenly forced downward through the controllingvalve. This causes an equally sudden flashing up of the as-pressure, with the result of causing the flame supplied by the gas to flare and often to go out.

It is obvious that in my apparatus any lateral or wave movements of the water in the reservoir are prevented from affecting the column which is inclosed in the tubular chamber. Inasmuch as the said tube is hermetically closed at its upper end the water in it rises to a level of course lower than that which it reaches in the reservoir B, and the body of air confined in said tube above said water-level thus becomes an air-cushion. Vertical impressed movement of the Water column in said tube is thus largely taken up and checked by this cushion, and therefore the quantity of water which is forced down by the shock through the needle-valve becomes greatly reduced. The elongated openings H in the partition H are also of advantage in retarding the up-and-down motion of the water in the tube, since they exercise a dash-pot eifect. In this way the flow of water past the needle-valve F becomes but little influenced by the motion of the apparatus as a whole, and the variations in gaspressure due to such motion are correspondingly diminished. This being the case the relief device is made sensitive to comparatively small changes in gas-pressure. The bent tube 0 is constructed with a short water-column and located wholly above the gas-. compartment. It is within the reservoir, ex-

cept at its bend, which is above the outside of the upper wall or cover C of said reservoir. The water in the reservoir rises in the leg R to such height as will balance the normal gas-pressure coming from the gascompartment through the leg P. The height of the water column in the tube is therefore such that a comparatively small increase of pressure in the gas-compartment will be sufficient to force the water. out of leg R, when the gas will pass freely and directly to the atmosphere through the tube S. It is to be observed that the bent'tube O is constructed so as to permit of the free passage of gas at all times and in both directions into and from the generator, so that the balancing water-level in it will be quickly found and Its bend must not be in the reservoir, because the rising of the water over it, either through the splashing or overfilling, would at once cause a heavy discharge of water into.the carbid. By putting the bend entirely outside and above the reservoir this danger is not only prevented, but it becomes possible to fill the reservoir with water to the top, or, in other words, no attention to adjustment of Water-level in the reservoir is necessary, the water being poured in until it overflows at S. Attention is called to the fact that by this construction substantially all of the water in the reservoir can be utilized and that it is not necessary to maintain a large quantity therein simply to give head against a relief device. As the waterlevel falls through consumption, the effect of the air-cushion above the water column in tube E diminishes, but correlatively therewith the same fall causes'a less hydrostatic pressure to be opposed to the gas-relief tube 0. Hence as the water-regulating device hecomes less sensitive the relief device becomes more so.

As especial features of constructive advantage it may be noted that the gas-generatin g compartment is here a simple cylindrical vessel, on the open mouth of which the waterreservoir is adapted to fit like a lid. Therefore in order to put in carbid or remove the spent material there are no pipe or other minor connections to break, it being necessary simply to separate the two vessels; also, that all of the working devices-relief-tube, water-tube, and needle-va1ve,,and drier-conduit-are disposed in the reservoir and so cured there permanently, The tube of the needle-valve is also carried for a considerable distance below the bottom of the reservoir, thus increasing the height of the watr r column at the valve and insuring its more uniform operation. The Water-supply aperture at S is always open, so that it is easy at any time to introduce water into the reservoir without stopping the operation of the apparatus, and thus to keep the water-level at desired height.

I have subjected this apparatus to severo and repeated tests in working form and have found its operation as above described uniformly successful, the light remaining practically unimpaired despite shocks far more violent than are liable to occur to automobiles, locomotives, or other vehicles for use on which this device is more especially designed.

I claimv 1. In an acetylene-gas generator having an upper water-reservoir and a lower gas-generating compartment, means for regulating escape of Water from said reservoir directly,

to said compartment, means for reducing the excess of flow of said water due to sudden impressed movement of said generator, a gasescape duct and means independent of said duct and controlled by the hydrostatic pressure in said apparatus for relieving the gaspressure due to said excess of flow, substantially as described.

2. In an acetylene-gas generator having an upper water-reservoir and lower gas-generating compartment, a compartment having an opening communicating with said reservoir and hermetically sealed above said opening to form a chamber for air under pressure and having an aperture below said reservoiropening communicating directly with said gas-compartment, and a valve in said opening adjustable in definite position to regulate the water flow from said reservoir to said compartment, substantially as described.

3. The combination in an acetylene-gas generator with a vessel for containing carbid, of a second vessel forming a water-reservoir, adapted to fit upon the said carbid vessel, and, in said water-reservoir, first, a conduit for liquid communicating with the interior thereof, and an escape-valve in the bottom of said conduit; second, a gas-conduit; third, a bent tube having one end opening through the bottom of said vessel, extending through the cover thereof and then extending downwardly and having an open end near said bottom, and, fourth, a gas-escape opening in said cover, substantially as described.

4. The combination in an acetylene-gas generator, having a lower carbid-compartment and an upper water-reservoir,disposed wholly above the same, of means for regulating the escape of water from said reservoir to said compartment, a gas-escape duct leading from said compartment,atube communicating with the gas-space in said compartment rising upward through the reservoir, bent over above the same and extending downward into the reservoir and open above and in proximity to the bottom thereof; the said reservoir being provided with an opening through its shell or wall located above the water-level for the escape of gas, substantially as described.

5. In an acetylene-gas generator having an upper water-reservoir and a lower gas-generating compartment, a tube Ehaving an opening communicating with said reservoir and hermetically sealed above said opening to form a chamber for air under pressure and extending below said reservoir into said gascompartment, and a valve seated in the closed lower end of said tube and positively adjustable to regulate the escape of water from said,

filled over a portion of its length greater than.

7. In an acetylene-gas generator having an upper Water-reservoir and a lower gas-genen ating compartment, a cylindrical gas-escape duct K extending through said reservoir and projecting at its lower portion into said gascompartment and containing materials for absorbing the. moisture of the gas passing through it, substantially as described.

8. In an acetylene-gas generator having an upper water-reservoir and a lower carbid-compartment, a water-tube communicating with said reservoir at its lower portion and closed at its upper end to form a compressed-air chamber, a valve in said tube for admitting water therefrom to pass to said compartment, and a transversopartition in said tube above said valve having apertures and operating to check the sudden flow of water in said tube toward and from said valve, substantially as described.

9. The combination in an acetylene -gas generator having an upper water-reservoir B and a lower carbid-compartment A, of the tube E closed at its upper end to form a compressed-air chamber and communicating with said reservoir, a valve in the bottom of said tube, threaded valve-stem G, partition H in said tube receiving said stem, and having openings H, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID WVOLFE BISHOP.

Witnesses:

I. A. VAN WART, H. R. MOLLER. 

